Over the past few days, there have been some great articles written about Mauer’s accomplishments - the batting titles, the MVP season, the records, and the magic he brought to life on a near-daily basis for 15 years.

Today, he was deservingly enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame alongside Todd Helton, Adrian Beltré, and Manager Jim Leyland in Cooperstown, New York. I was fortunate enough to be present for it. 

Being there was an amazing experience. That is likely true for a number of other members of Twins Territory as well. Anecdotally, close to half of the fans in attendance wearing jerseys, team shirts, or other memorabilia were repping Mauer.

The whole weekend was a celebration of baseball legends, with a parade on Saturday, the induction today, and a speaker’s series taking place tomorrow with a Q&A panel with this year’s inductees.

Walking through the picturesque small-town downtown area, there were over a dozen cash-only vendors selling hot dogs and burgers they were grilling along the sidewalks. Children were operating lemonade stands and selling water from portable coolers. You couldn’t walk more that 10 feet without someone going the other direction saying “Hey! Joe Mauer!” Former players such as Fergie Jenkins were signing autographs. There were half a dozen baseball card shops selling memorabilia of the greats, from game-used gloves and bats, to autographed jerseys, to baseball movie-inspired gear.

The induction itself took place in a large field a mile or so outside of town, as Cooperstown only has around 2000 residents outside of HOF-weekend, and tens of thousands descend from near and far to celebrate the game most of us have loved since we were children.

At the ceremony, prior to the new inductees being introduced, some 45 other HOFers were brought to the stage and their accomplishments were celebrated briefly. The Twins were well-represented, with Tony O, Rod Carew, Dave Winfield, Jack Morris, Jim Kaat, Paul Molitor, David Ortiz, and Jim Thome all present. These players received some of the loudest standing ovations from the crowd. Rob Manfred and Bud Selig were also introduced, and they were the only people to be booed by the audience, which…seems right. 

Helton’s speech was the funniest, telling stories about his superstitions and his facial hair. Leyland’s was the most emotional, as the crusty baseball lifer got choked up multiple times as he reflected on the game. Beltre celebrated the teammates he loved to play with. Mauer’s speech was the most…Mauer. Joe’s humility was striking. Unlike the others, he did not share baseball anecdotes. He didn’t crack jokes. He instead focused on thanking everyone else - from the scouts, to his family, his high school coaches, and medical staff, Mayo Clinic doctors, and trainers that believed in him throughout his career. He built in pauses for people to applaud those others, and when the cheering wasn’t to his liking, he implored the audience to cheer louder and longer for those who see important to him. He even claimed his mom was the best athlete in the family. In typical Mauer fashion, he chose to stay out of the spotlight - even on a day honoring him. 

It will likely be at least 15 years before we see another player enter the hall as a member of the Twins, and that’s if a lot of things break right. It’ll likely be even longer waiting for another player as special as Mauer to come along. Even if you don’t have a chance to see one of your favorite players being inducted, Cooperstown is still well-worth a visit, as the museum can entertain for hours, with every turn presenting another artifact that brings back baseball memories. 

Abner Doubleday field is also just a block or so away from the Baseball Hall. This field over 100 years old, and is on the spot where he (apocryphally) invented the game of baseball.

Comment below if you were at the induction today, or if you have a favorite Mauer memory you want to share!